“I Preferred Women in Revealing Clothing” — How a Ministry Official’s Secret Filming Obsession Persisted Despite Warnings

Ministry of Agriculture Employee arrested for voyeurism on two consecutive days

“I saw a woman who was my type—wearing a miniskirt or revealing clothing—and thought I’d try to film her.”

The man, who was caught and arrested at the scene, reportedly made that statement during police questioning.

On the night of May 3, the Ichikawa Police Station of the Chiba Prefectural Police arrested Naoto Minbeta (41), a section chief at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, on suspicion of violating the Act on Punishment for Filming Sexual Images (attempted filming).

“According to the Chiba Prefectural Police, the incident occurred on an upward-moving escalator inside JR Ichikawa Station in Ichikawa City. Minbeta is suspected of attempting to film underneath the skirt of a woman in her twenties from Chiba Prefecture by inserting a smartphone beneath her skirt from behind while she was standing in front of him. A nearby witness restrained the suspect, and station staff who arrived at the scene notified the police.

During questioning, he reportedly admitted to the allegation, saying, ‘There is no mistake that I attempted to secretly film underneath her skirt,’” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs desk.

Police reportedly found videos on the suspect’s smartphone that appear to show footage taken underneath women’s skirts. In addition, he made the statement quoted at the beginning of the article, leading investigators to suspect that the behavior may have been habitual.

On the morning of May 5, Minbeta appeared outside Ichikawa Police Station. With sharply groomed eyebrows and closely cropped hair, the handsome man, whose narrow eyes gave him a cool appearance, looked straight ahead and walked with good posture as directed by police officers.

Although this was a voyeurism case involving a national government employee, a similar incident occurred the very next day. On May 4, at a Shinkansen platform in JR Nagoya Station, Shoichi Ashida (26), of Suginami Ward, Tokyo, was arrested on suspicion of attempting to secretly film underneath the skirt of a 26-year-old woman using a camera concealed in his shoe.

“According to police, the woman’s younger brother, who was with her, noticed Ashida’s suspicious behavior and restrained him. Station staff called 110, and responding officers arrested him at the scene. Ashida reportedly admitted to the allegation, saying, ‘That’s correct,’” the reporter added.

In fact, Ashida is also an employee of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and works in the Consumer Affairs and Safety Bureau.

Furthermore, on the same day, Akifumi Kakizawa (56), an employee of the Uozu City Board of Education in Toyama Prefecture and deputy chief of the school lunch section at the city’s School Lunch Center, was arrested by Uozu Police Station of the Toyama Prefectural Police on suspicion of trespassing after allegedly entering a women’s restroom at a food preparation facility in Uozu City.

Like honing skills in a video game

“According to the city Board of Education, on April 28 a female employee at the School Lunch Center discovered a small camera on the floor of a women’s restroom. Upon investigation, footage of Kakizawa was found on the device. When questioned, he apparently admitted to having installed the camera.

During police questioning, the suspect reportedly stated, ‘I entered for the purpose of secretly filming women,’” said a local newspaper reporter.

Before the Golden Week holidays, local governments across Japan held events aimed at preventing incidents of groping and voyeuristic filming. On April 22, the Fukuoka Prefectural Police conducted an anti-groping and anti-voyeurism awareness campaign in front of JR Yoshizuka Station in Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City. Within the prefecture, the number of arrests for voyeuristic filming from January through March had reached 95 cases, 1.5 times higher than during the same period the previous year.

Since it was the height of the Golden Week holiday period, authorities had undoubtedly intensified patrols in areas where large crowds gathered. Yet incidents of groping and voyeuristic filming still occurred. The arrest of three public servants on voyeurism-related charges over two consecutive days could be described as an extraordinary situation.

To discuss the issue, the magazine spoke with Masafumi Usui, a professor of social psychology at Niigata Seiryo University Graduate School.

“First of all, everyday seriousness and sexual behavior are separate matters. A person can genuinely work diligently as a public servant while simultaneously experiencing sexual desires. Ideally, stress and desires can be released in healthy ways, but among public servants, who are expected to be highly conscientious, there are likely some who are not good at that.

Among those who engage in voyeuristic filming are individuals with pathological tendencies, such as voyeuristic disorder—a condition in which a person becomes sexually aroused by secretly watching others. Some are unable to control themselves and continue the behavior even when they hold high social status.

There are also offenders who approach voyeuristic filming the way someone might approach fishing or mastering skills in a video game. They derive a sense of accomplishment from carrying out increasingly sophisticated acts of secret filming. It is possible that some people, precisely because they are serious, intelligent, and financially comfortable, devote themselves to perfecting these distorted skills.”

He went on to discuss broader problems in modern society:

“In any case, current social conditions are contributing to the increase in voyeurism-related crimes. Acts such as secretly filming with ultra-small cameras, which previously required highly specialized equipment and expertise, can now be carried out even by amateurs. In other words, the temptations have increased.

More than ever before, self-control is required.”

Prompt social measures are needed.